Dragon Relations
by YinYangWriter
Summary: The fourth installment of the Dragon Trainer, Dragon Speaker series. After having reoccurring nightmares, Grim decides to consult the Scottish witch they met on a previous adventure. Hiccup goes with, but things quickly get out of hand and they must fight to save the dragons of a foreign land.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to the fourth installment of the Dragon Trainer, Dragon Speaker series. I'm amazed that at this series so far because I didn't think I would go as far as a Deltora crossover, at least with Grim and Deathshriek. Anyway, there will be old friends and new friends in this story, so take into account the previous three installments. And for all those serious fans of this series, you may, may, finally learn a certain prince's name. Other than that, I'm not telling you anything else in regards to that. You can guess and speculate all you want from there. For those of you who haven't read the Deltora series, I'm going to do my best for everything to make sense. Hiccup and Grim know nothing about Deltora either. For the Deltora part, I am only referencing the books. I only watched two episodes of the anime and was disappointed by it, but that's just me. I have given you a fairly long chapter to start, but don't expect chapters to be as long. I am still working on this story and updates won't be as frequent as they were in the series early days. So enjoy and leave a comment in the review section.**

* * *

Hiccup was sitting at his desk working on a new sketch for his next project. He was going to make another tailfin that Toothless could operate on his own. He was trying to see if he could make the tailfin so Toothless could operate it by himself if he was separated from Hiccup and Hiccup could use the pedal when they flew together. He had seriously begun thinking about it after once again they were separated and they both nearly got killed.

Hiccup glanced out the window. He was amazed that it had already been a month since the Outcasts had become allies of Berk and the Screaming Death was something they no longer had to worry about. Things were getting better for the island.

A moan made Hiccup turn to the second bed in the bedroom. His adoptive brother, Grim, was tossing and turning in his sleep again. His black hair was tangled and his pale face was scrunched up.

Toothless gave a warble from his perch on his slab. The dragons were often woken by Grim when he started having nightmares two weeks ago. Usually, Grim's dragon, Deathshriek, a Baleful Banshee and a cousin of a Night Fury if Fishlegs' research was anything to go on, would be able to sing the teen back to sleep.

"Not again," Hiccup said.

He put his quill down and walked over to Grim's bed. Hiccup was careful when he woke his brother. He grabbed one of his feet and gave it a shake.

Grim sat up and snarled.

"Whoa, it's just me," Hiccup said, taking a step back with his hands up. "You were dreaming again."

Grim sighed and pushed his black hair out of his eyes. "Did I wake you?"

How one could speak in rumbling growls and bloodcurdling shrieks and still had a rich, smooth voice like Grim had was beyond Hiccup. It was like an otherworldly quality, much like Grim's pure blue eyes.

"No, it's the midmorning," said Hiccup. "Do you remember anything this time?"

"No," replied Grim, irritated.

Each time Grim woke from one of his nightmares, he would forget it.

"Oh, well," said Hiccup. "What do you want to do today?"

Grim got out of bed, popping his back. He was taller than Hiccup and much stronger than anyone could guess. It came with living with dragons for two years. Grim was strong enough to wrestle any Viking into submission and a few dragons as well.

"Are you still working on the new tailfin for Toothless?" Grim asked.

"I'm almost done," said Hiccup. They both went over to the desk. "I'm using a similar design to the independent tailfin I made for Toothless last year. From there I'm trying to make a lever that will disengage and reengage the tailfin mechanism on his tail without getting jammed."

"I will go to the forge with you," said Grim. "I may finish my coat today."

They both went down to the forge where Hiccup began working on the new tailfin. Grim pulled out a box full of black dragon scales and fired up the forge. One of Grim's many talents was being able to turned dragon scales into clothes. Many of his clothes were made out of these scales. It was also what he used to trade with Trader Johann for whatever he needed. Today he was finishing a project he had been working on for the last week; a long coat made of black dragon scales. Hiccup wasn't sure where Grim had gotten the black dragon scales because pure black scales were only on three dragons he knew of: Toothless, Deathshriek, and Fearcloak. The only part of the coat that needed finished was the large hood that would hide Grim's face.

After an hour, Grim was in the back of the shop, putting the secret finishing touches on the coat. He brought it back out to let the special polish finish drying.

"**Grim!**" A small dragon jumped onto Grim's back. It was Fearcloak, a Creeping Shadow dragon in the Fear Class they met when they were in Scotland. His thin body was about three feet in length, his wingspan double that. Two long tails fell almost to the ground. He poked his narrow snout into Grim's shoulder, purring, and his two pairs of red eyes were half-lidded. His entire body was covered in black scales. He only had hind legs and walked on his wings, very similar to a Monstrous Nightmare. Fearcloak adored Grim and loved to hold onto his shoulders and be piggybacked around, looking like an old cloak, hence his name. "**You look sleepy.**"

"**I am sleepy,**" Grim said. "**I did not sleep well.**"

Fearcloak nudged his cheek. "**Shouldn't you try to sleep more? Dragons take naps all the time.**"

"**I cannot,**" said Grim. "**My nightmares keep me from sleeping.**"

Fearcloak cooed. "**What are your nightmares about?**"

Grim shook his head. "**I forget them when I wake up.**"

"**Don't humans remember dreams?**" asked Fearcloak.

"**Do dragons remember all of theirs?**" Grim asked.

Fearcloak sighed. "**I see your point.**" He settled on his shoulders to take a nap.

Grim smiled and scratched Fearcloak's head.

"All done?" Hiccup called.

Grim came over to Hiccup to see how far he had gotten. He had forged some gears that would work the tailfin and was in the process of twisting some rods to connect to the gears.

"Do you need me to help you?" Grim asked.

"No, I got it," said Hiccup. "Maybe you should go back to home and try to get some sleep."

"No," replied Grim. "I am going to the Academy."

Grim decided to walk to the Academy to try to clear his head. He walked in to find Deathshriek sunning himself in the middle of the arena. The blue and black Baleful Banshee opened one pure blue eye.

"**I was enjoying my nap,**" he said.

"**Do not let me stop you,**" said Grim. "**If I did not know better, I would think you were trying to get me to sleep.**"

He heard a telltale whine from Fearcloak.

"**We are all worried about you, Grim,**" said Deathshriek. "**You haven't slept properly in two weeks.**"

Grim carefully dislodged Fearcloak from his back and placed him on some crates in the sunny area to bask. He went to Deathshriek's side. Deathshriek lifted one black wing to welcome Grim to lie down tucked against his side. Grim lay next to Deathshriek and was covered with his wing.

"**Go to sleep, Grim,**" Deathshriek said. "**If Snotlout and the twins come down here, I will see that they leave quickly.**"

Grim closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Deathshriek was dozing himself when a vicious kick hit him in the leg. "**Grim, stop kicking.**" He was promptly kicked again. Deathshriek lifted his wing and glared. "**Grim.**"

Grim moaned and turned over.

Deathshriek watched Grim continually kick him and turn over. He would hiss incoherently at times and Deathshriek couldn't figure out what Grim was dreaming about.

"**Shouldn't we wake him?**" Fearcloak asked.

"**I am not sure,**" said Deathshriek. "**If I wake him, he may forget what he is dreaming about.**"

"**But he's suffering!**" Fearcloak pointed out.

Deathshriek grunted. "**Grim, wake up. Grim, you're dreaming.**" Deathshriek turned his head and licked Grim across the face.

Grim started awake. "What?"

"**You were dreaming again,**" said Deathshriek.

Grim wiped his face.

"**Did you remember anything?**" asked Fearcloak.

"**No,**" replied Grim, standing. "**This is becoming ridiculous. Is this going to end?**"

Deathshriek didn't say anything at first. "**Let's go flying. That always seems to soothe you. We will fly out to Dragon Island and you can commune with the dragons there.**"

Grim nodded and swung himself on Deathshriek's back.

The two friends flew to Dragon Island.

The dragons on Dragon Island knew exactly who Grim and Deathshriek were after they helped save the island from the Screaming Death months before. Those dragons tended to leave Grim and Deathshriek alone.

They landed on the beach for Deathshriek have enough sun for a proper basking.

"**Feel a little better?**" Deathshriek asked hopefully.

Grim nodded and sat on a rock.

Deathshriek purred as he arranged himself on the beach to sun himself. He turned himself in such a way he could see Grim and any possible threats that would fly in to attack them.

"**Once you begin sleeping again, perhaps we should take a trip to Scotland,**" Deathshriek suggested. "**I am sure your princess is missing you, my prince.**"

Grim grunted, annoyed with the prince comment. Yes, by blood he was an Irish prince, but he had been banished by his family and clan because he had made friends with a dragon. Said dragon had been killed and Grim had been tossed in a boat and left for dead. Grim did not like having anything to do with nobility, but he had helped save the Scots from a Queen Dragon and had become friends with the princess. That same adventure also led to them being charmed by a witch. Grim could become invisible like Deathshriek and Hiccup had the ability to walk with silent footsteps when he wanted to.

"**She will be happy to see you,**" said Deathshriek. "**Her brothers, too. And Ember-Ash and Blackscar.**"

Grim grunted again, this time in agreement. "**But only after I begin sleeping again.**"

"Yahoo!"

Grim and Deathshriek jumped.

A purple Nightmare flew low over their heads and inland.

"**Oh, no,**" grumbled Deathshriek.

"Oh, Gustav," Grim sighed, getting up.

Grim was the only rider who knew Gustav never gave up Fanghook after Hiccup told him to. Grim really didn't care about that, but he was worried the boy would get hurt by doing something reckless. He didn't dare try to separate them like the other riders had because he saw the bond between Gustav and Fanghook.

Grim got on Deathshriek and the two flew invisibly to where Gustav and Fanghook landed.

"**Should we let them know we're here?**" asked Deathshriek.

"**Wait a moment,**" replied Grim.

Grim observed them for a few moments. Gustav appeared to be getting better at staying on Fanghook's neck without a saddle. He also didn't seem as clumsy as he used to.

Grim dropped his invisibility. "And what, pray tell, are you doing on Dragon Island, Gustav?"

Gustav yelped and nearly jumped out of his skin. "Grim! What are you doing here?"

"I believe I asked you first," said Grim. He looked up at Fanghook. "I thought we had agreed you would stay on Berk."

"Aw, I wanted to see Dragon Island for myself," said Gustav. "I hear Hiccup and the other riders talking about it all the time."

"Why didn't you just ask me to bring you with?" asked Grim. "You are not the most experienced rider by any means. Not all dragons are as easy to handle as your Fanghook. Some of them can be vicious."

Gustav hung his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to bother you. You've seemed too busy with other things."

"Gustav, you are my only pupil," said Grim. "Trader Johann isn't due back for a few weeks, we don't have to worry about Berserkers for a little while, and the Outcasts have become our allies."

"But why are they our allies?" Gustav asked. "They've attacked us in the past."

Grim smiled. "And there is your answer. In the past. It was the same with the dragons and look at us now. Who would have thought a human and a dragon could be friends."

Deathshriek stepped out and grunted.

Fanghook nuzzled Gustav's shoulder.

A booming roar sounded from the other side of the island.

Grim's smile broadened. "I was not expecting to see him today. Come, Gustav."

They took a quick flight across the island to where the sound originated from.

Gustav let out a cry of surprise when he saw the dragons making the noise. "Thornado!"

Hearing his name, the blue Thunder Drum lifted his eyes to the sky. No one on Berk had seen Thornado since he had taken three baby Thunder Drums under his wing. The original idea had been for Thornado to look after of them until they found another Thunder Drum to take care of them. However, plans changed and Thornado decided to keep watch over them.

"**Grim!**" Thornado bellowed up to them. "**How are you?**"

Deathshriek and Fanghook landed.

Gustav hopped down. "Cool! I didn't think I would be seeing Thornado up close."

The three baby Thunder Drums charged up to Gustav.

"**Gentle,**" Thornado ordered.

"**Bing, Bam, and Boom look well,**" Deathshriek said, observing the little ones. He turned back to Thornado. "**How is parenthood treating you, Thornado?**"

The two dragons began talking about Thornado's adventures and his time with the baby Thunder Drums.

Bing, the green Thunder Drum, knocked Gustav over. Fanghook hissed at him.

"**It's all right,**" Grim assured them. "Gustav, what do you see?"

Gustav gave Grim a funny look. "I see three small Thunder Drums. They're still growing, right? One's green, one's blue, and one's purple. Do they have names?"

"Bing, Bam, and Boom," Grim replied. "What else?"

"I remember they wrecked Berk," Gustav added.

"They certainly did," said Grim. "Now, I do not know if you can see it, none of the others did until I pointed it out, but one of these Thunder Drums is different from the others."

Gustav looked at each Thunder Drum closely. "I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking for, Grim."

Grim smiled. "Bing and Bam are male. Boom is female."

"Oh," said Gustav. "How can you tell?"

"There are a few ways to tell," said Grim. "Every breed is a little different. Thunder Drums are one of the hardest to determine gender. It also helps if you speak Dragonese. I overheard Bing and Bam refer to Boom as female."

"**Gustav seems to have taken to Grim very well,**" said Thornado.

"**Yes,**" replied Deathshriek. "**Rather have him take after Grim than take after Snotlout.**"

Thornado laughed. "**How is Grim?**"

Deathshriek sighed. "**Not as well as he could be. He hasn't been sleeping well. He has nightmares and wakes up not remembering what he was dreaming.**"

Thornado hummed. "**It sounds familiar.**"

"**How does it sound familiar? Grim has never had this happen to him before.**" Deathshriek glanced at Grim. "**I'm worried.**"

Fanghook happened to hear their conversation. He was secure enough with Bing, Bam, and Boom being around Gustav and Grim that he moved over to Deathshriek and Thornado.

"**Grim's having nightmares and can't remember them?**"

Deathshriek nodded. "**It's been going on for two weeks.**"

Fanghook tilted his head. "**My mother used to tell me stories about dragons having strange dreams.**"

"**Grim is not a dragon,**" said Thornado. "**I do know what you are talking about. I grew up with those stories as well.**"

Deathshriek gave a small nod. "**Premonitions; an ability in the dragons of old.**"

"**What are you talking about?**" Grim asked.

"**We should tell him,**" said Deathshriek. "**The little ones should learn this as well.**"

Thornado called Bing, Bam, and Boom over to them.

"Gustav, come here. You're about to hear some dragon lore."

Gustav came to sit next to Grim and Bing.

"Many generations ago, dragons were considered to be wise and magical beings among the humans," Grim translated. "They had power the humans wanted. When the humans could not obtain their magic, the dragons were killed. Many of the special abilities dragons have today are said to come from the magic the dragons once had."

Gustav's eyes were bright in wonder. "What kind of magic did they have?"

The little Thunder Drums were chattering the same thing.

"Magic of healing, human speech, hypnotism, premonition, and more," Grim continued to translate Thornado. "Some humans were willing to befriend these dragons and created bonds so strong with those dragons that -." Grim blinked in shock as he heard Thornado continue his story.

"Grim?" Gustav asked. "Are you okay?"

Grim swallowed hard. "That the humans gained some of their magic."

"Really?" asked Gustav. "Wow! I wonder if I'll ever learn magic from Fanghook."

"I do not know, Gustav," Grim said, recovering from the shock. "Dragons had their full magic a very long time ago."

"Nothing wrong with hoping, right?" Gustav said.

"I suppose not," said Grim.

The three little Thunder Drums decided they didn't want to sit still any longer and bounded off to play with Gustav, Fanghook following to keep an eye on them.

"**Many dragons can still feel the power of magic that runs in their blood,**" said Thornado. "**It manifests in different ways: fire, sound, camouflage, they're all ways of the magic in our blood.**"

"**Why have I not heard this before?**" Grim asked.

"**It is an old dragon's story,**" replied Thornado.

"**I did not think to tell you the story,**" said Deathshriek. "**We were so busy with learning to fly with each other and learning Dragonese. I never thought to tell you the story of the old dragons.**"

"**If you are having nightmares, perhaps you are having premonitions,**" said Thornado.

"**What good is a premonition if you cannot remember it?**" Grim asked.

"**I think you will recall it in time,**" said Thornado.

One of the little Thunder Drums began making a racket.

"**I need to check on them,**" said Thornado.

Grim nodded. He turned to Deathshriek. "**Is there anything else you would like to tell me?**"

"**Grim, please don't be upset. I was honest when I said I didn't think to tell you.**"

"**I am not angry, Deathshriek,**" Grim assured. "**Is there anything else would like to tell me?**"

Deathshriek thought for a moment. "**Yes. The origin myth of the Baleful Banshees.**"

"**The origin myth?**"

"**All dragons have origin myths, some more magnificent than others,**" explained Deathshriek. "**There is said to be a direct line from the old dragons to Baleful Banshees, along with other breeds like Skrills and Night Furies.**"

"**Night Furies? Toothless is your cousin!**" Grim had to smile.

"**Yes, he is my cousin,**" said Deathshriek. "**There is a reason why you humans call Night Furies the offspring of lightning and death itself. Night Furies, Skrills, perhaps even the Flightmare, all the dragons who have a direct line to the old dragons are powerful. All dragons are related to the old dragons in some way, but some are more closely related than others.**"

"**Like the Deaths?**" asked Grim.

Deathshriek nodded. "**Like the Deaths. Now, our myth that has been passed down from generation to generation is that Baleful Banshees were the ghosts of old dragons who were slain. That is not true, but we can move unseen, have haunting roars, and we are overall terrifying. We breathe blue, other-worldly fire and can sing with a silver voice. You can see how that can be magic.**"

Grim looked at the ground in thought. "**And the bond?**"

"**It has been so long since humans and dragons have been friends,**" said Deathshriek. "**You and the other riders are the first trustworthy humans in several generations. That does not count the rumors of Berserkers being able to control the Skrills. It is possible our bond is strong enough for me to pass on what little magic is still in my blood to you.**"

Grim only nodded.

"**Grim?**"

"**I am sorry, Deathshriek. I'm trying to take all this in,**" Grim said.

Deathshriek purred. "**Everything will be fine.**"

"**I have no doubt,**" Grim said.

* * *

The night was not kind to Grim. He lay in his bed, twisted in his new coat and furs. Deathshriek was watching from where he lay next to Toothless.

"**Something's wrong,**" Deathshriek said to Toothless. "**Grim is never cold.**"

"**Maybe he's just wrapping himself up for comfort. You know, how hatchlings do with their mother,**" said Toothless.

"**He has done that with me in the past, but that was when we first met,**" said Deathshriek.

"**Do you think he's sick?**" asked Toothless.

Deathshriek warbled. He wasn't sure himself. Grim was never prone to nightmares after the first few months on Grim Island. Deathshriek could only recall two times that Grim had been ill, once when he found him and once on Berk. Grim was very strong for a human.

Deathshriek got up and went to Grim's side. "**Grim, what are you seeing?**"

He could hear chanting, but it was not in a language he studied. The chanting brought a sense of foreboding. He cringed and tried to block it out. It continued. It was burning. Flames of impossible colors rose up around him. Then it all went black and cold.

Grim sat up with a scream.

"**It's okay!**"

"**You are safe! Grim, it was just a dream.**"

"What's going on?"

There was thunder on the stairs.

"Grim."

Grim shook off the rest of the nightmare and looked at Stoick kneeling next to the bed. That explained the thunder.

"Grim, are you all right?" Stoick asked.

Grim nodded. He opened his mouth and the only thing that came out was a string of Irish. He tried again, but it was still in Irish.

"I think he's in shock," Hiccup said, sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Take your time, son," Stoick said.

Grim sat there for several moments, realizing that he wasn't able to speak in something they could understand.

"Hold on a second," said Hiccup. He grabbed something from under his bed. It was the medallion the witch from Scotland had given him. He slipped it over his head. "Okay, now try."

"I was dreaming," Grim said in Irish, but Hiccup was understanding it perfectly. The spell was working. "I dreamed I heard chanting that I did not understand. I saw fire in the colors of the rainbow. It went dark and cold after that. I think that's what I have been dreaming about."

"At least you remember something," said Hiccup.

Grim nodded and rested his back against the headboard.

Stoick looked from Grim to Hiccup. "You understood that?"

"Magic," said Hiccup, holding up the medallion. "A little gift we picked up from a certain witch in Scotland. It allows the wearer to understand any language."

"Which gives me an idea," Grim said, finding the proper language again. "Maybe if I sleep with my medallion on, I will be able to understand what is being chanted."

"It's worth a shot," Hiccup said with a shrug.

Grim retrieved his medallion and slipped it over his neck. "I do apologize for waking everyone up."

Deathshriek cooed. "**If it is worth you remembering what your dream is about, then I will gladly miss a night's sleep.**"

"Don't worry about it," said Stoick. "Try to sleep. We will talk about this in the morning."

Grim nodded and lay back down.

Stoick went back downstairs to his room.

"Grim."

"Yes, Hiccup?"

"It'll be okay," Hiccup said.

For a moment, Hiccup thought Grim had fallen asleep. "I know."

* * *

"Seven hearts of the land were harvested. Seven shadows were left in the ground. Seven fires soar the vast sky and hundreds more are silent in sound."

The sense of foreboding had returned again. He drew himself back from it, but he could not block out the chanting. The fire sprang up around him again.

"Seven more shall join as ash, their anguished cries echoing in the night. The king will fall to his knees and beg for mercy and for life."

Everything went black and cold.

* * *

Grim opened his eyes, but didn't jump up like the first time. He took a deep breath to steady himself. To his surprise, it was daylight. Hiccup's bed was empty and so was Toothless' slab. Deathshriek was curled up next to Grim's bed, watching him.

"**Good morning,**" Deathshriek greeted.

Grim sat up and rubbed his eyes. "**What time is it?**"

"**You missed breakfast,**" said Deathshriek. "**I am going to hunt. Would you like me to find you anything special?**"

"**No. No breakfast.**" Grim got up and put his boots on. "**Where are the others?**"

"**At the Academy,**" Deathshriek replied. "**Do you want me to fly you over there?**"

"**I think I want to walk,**" Grim said.

Deathshriek nodded and left.

Grim straightened his shirt and went downstairs, taking a small piece of bread from the table. He walked outside and started for the Academy.

"_Seven hearts of the land were harvested. Seven shadows were left in the ground. Seven fires soar the vast sky and hundreds more are silent in sound. Seven more shall join as ash, their anguished cries echoing in the night. The king will fall to his knees and beg for mercy and for life."_

Grim was confused. The talk about the hearts and shadows meant nothing to him and the seven soaring fires and even more were silent didn't make any sense. None of this really made any sense to Grim. Why, after all this time, was he having weird dreams? He wondered if what Thornado said about dragons being able to pass their magic along to humans was true.

He walked into the Academy before he knew it.

"Grim, look out!"

Grim was tackled to the ground and there was an explosion above him. He turned over and saw Astrid.

"Are you okay?" Astrid asked.

"I'm fine," replied Grim. "Thank you."

"Are you sure?" asked Fishlegs. "It's not like you to be so out of it."

"Yeah," said Ruffnut. "Barf and Belch nearly took your head off."

"That would have been cool," said Tuffnut.

Astrid helped Grim to his feet.

"I'm sorry," Grim said.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Astrid asked. "You look like you're ready to fall asleep on your feet."

"Can't take the heat?" Snotlout chuckled. "Maybe you should back out of training. There's no way you can keep up with me." He flexed his muscles.

Fishlegs frowned. "You're saying this about the guy who wrestles dragons for fun?"

"The dragons are going easy on him," Snotlout brushed off.

Grim pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hiccup, I need to speak with you."

Hiccup and Grim moved to the other side of the Academy to talk with some privacy.

"Did you have that dream again?" Hiccup asked.

"I did, and this time I understood what was being said," Grim replied. "I'm glad you thought to use the medallion."

"So what did you hear?" asked Hiccup.

"'Seven hearts of the land were harvested. Seven shadows were left in the ground. Seven fires soar the vast sky and hundreds more are silent in sound. Seven more shall join as ash, their anguished cries echoing in the night. The king will fall to his knees and beg for mercy and for life.'"

Hiccup frowned. "I don't know about hearts and shadows, but the seven fires that soar the vast sky sound to me like dragons."

"Everything has to deal with the number seven," Grim said. "Seven hearts, seven shadows, seven fires. And I don't like how whatever that voice said about the seven fires joining the others as ash. Can you think of anything in Viking culture that may deal with seven dragons?"

"The only thing I can think of is the seven classes of dragons," replied Hiccup. "But that doesn't make sense. And what about the king?"

Grim sighed. "I don't know." He turned around and punched the wall. "I hate this!"

"Calm down," said Hiccup. "We'll figure this out. Maybe you should lie down for a while. You look paler than usual and you can pass for a ghost on a good day."

Grim slid down against the wall. "I'll sleep here."

Hiccup shrugged and walked away.

"Is he okay?" Fishlegs asked, looking at Grim with concern.

"Uh, I really don't know," said Hiccup. "It's Grim."

"Have you tried talking to him?" Astrid asked.

"I don't know what to say." Hiccup put his hands in his hair and gave a tug. "It's not that easy."

"What's not so easy about it?" asked Astrid. "You're just asking him what he's dreaming about."

Hiccup sighed. He didn't know how to answer that. Neither of them had told the other riders about the magic they acquired from the witch in Scotland.

"That's it!" Hiccup cried. He ran back over to Grim.

The other riders looked at each other.

"Hiccup's acting a little more odd than usual," said Fishlegs.

"That might have something to do with Grim not sleeping," said Astrid. "Hiccup looked tired himself."

* * *

"Grim, wake up!"

Grim was startled out of his doze by Hiccup. "What?"

"I have an idea," Hiccup said. "Maybe the Scottish witch will know what your nightmares are about."

Grim blinked. "Hiccup, that could actually work. Thank you."

* * *

That night was the first night in two weeks that Grim didn't have nightmares. He only had a few hours of sleep before getting up. Hiccup and Toothless were sleeping. Grim got his pack from under the bed and went downstairs. He took a loaf of bread to eat on the flight to Scotland.

Grim turned around and jumped, letting out a string of words in Irish. "Hiccup!" he hissed.

Hiccup was standing behind Grim with his arms folded. "And where do you think you're going?"

"Go back to bed, Hiccup," Grim hissed.

"Tell me or I'm telling Dad," Hiccup said firmly.

Grim hissed angrily. He took a deep breath and composed himself. "I am going to Scotland. I need answers."

"I know you need answers," said Hiccup.

"Then why are you stopping me?" Grim asked.

"Who said anything about stopping you?" Hiccup smiled. "I'm just trying to stop you from leaving without me."

"Hiccup, you don't have to come," said Grim.

"Yes, I do," said Hiccup. "If I don't go with you, who's going to make sure you come back in one piece? The last time you went to Scotland by yourself, Dad had to carry you back to Gothi's. I'm not going to let my brother go out there by himself. You would do the same for me."

Grim sighed. "All right."

"Good," said Hiccup. "Now can we go back to bed and wait until morning to leave instead of sneaking around?"

The brothers went back up to their room and went back to sleep.

* * *

"You want to do what?" asked Stoick.

"Go to Scotland," Hiccup repeated. "We know someone there that may be able to help Grim with his nightmares."

"They're just dreams, son," said Stoick.

"That is not what Thornado told me," said Grim.

Stoick turned to Grim. "You saw Thornado? How is he? And how are the little ones? Did they find another Thunder Drum yet?"

"Yes, I saw him. He is well and so are the little ones. And no, they did not find another Thunder Drum yet," Grim replied. "As for what Thornado tells me, my bond may be so strong with Deathshriek that he is passing some of the magic from his ancestors to me. If these dreams weren't so disturbing, I would not be going."

Stoick frowned. "What are you dreaming about, Grim?"

"Nothing that concerns Berk from what I can interpret," Grim answered. "Something about seven hearts and seven shadows. Hiccup figured out that part of what I dreamt has to do with dragons."

"And who better to deal with dragon affairs than the dragon speaker," Stoick said. He turned to Hiccup. "And the dragon trainer. Stay safe, you two. I expect you back in a week."

"Thanks, Dad!" Hiccup ran to pack and put everything in order.

* * *

They each filled their packs with what they would need for an all day and part of the night flight. The riders packed dried fish and some water along with a change of clothes. Grim retrieved his sword Hiccup made for him and his bow and quiver so he could have another archery contest with the Scottish princess. He put on his dragon claw gloves and black dragon scale coat he recently made.

Hiccup got his shield and found a thin sword he made several months ago. He wasn't very good with a sword, but he could use it. Grim had given Hiccup a few weapons lessons, but Hiccup was Hiccup and still wasn't that good with a blade.

Grim saw Hiccup was packing the sword. "Good. I feel better when you have a traditional weapon."

"What's wrong with the ones I make?" Hiccup asked.

"I mean no disrespect, Hiccup, but sometimes I worry your shield is going to malfunction," Grim replied.

"Well, I feel better with my shield because I know how it works," Hiccup said. He held up the sword. "And I was hoping someone would give me a lesson while we're there."

"Are you saying I'm a bad mentor?" Grim asked with a smirk.

"Not at all," said Hiccup. "I want to see other sword styles. You like using that large sword I made for you. I can't lift that to use it."

Grim checked his pack and sighed. "We shouldn't need that much gold, but I feel I am not bringing enough."

Hiccup held up a sack. "Maybe you'll want this now?"

"What's in there?" Grim asked, taking the sack. It was heavy. He opened it up and its contents sparkled in his eyes.

"The gold Trader Johann insists you take for your work," Hiccup replied. "He's been giving it to Dad, who's been giving it to me. That should be plenty for our trip."

"And many more," said Grim, still in shock of how much gold Trader Johann had been slipping the Haddock family behind his back.

Hiccup turned around and saw Stoick, Gobber, the riders, and their dragons.

Fearcloak let out a cry and attached himself to Grim. "**Do you have to go?**"

"**I won't be gone long,**" Grim assured.

"Be careful out there, you two," said Astrid. "And don't worry about the Academy. I'll keep everybody in line."

"Let me know if you see any new dragons," said Fishlegs.

"I have a notebook with me," said Hiccup. "If we learn anything new, I'll write it down and then we can put it in the Book of Dragons."

"I trust the rest of you will defend Berk if it needs it," Grim said.

"Of course," Snotlout waved off. "I'd like to see anybody try to invade Berk on my watch."

Astrid rolled her eyes.

Grim turned to the twins. "Can we keep the chaos to a minimum?"

"We make no promises," said Tuffnut.

Grim glanced at Barf and Belch.

"**We'll keep them out of trouble,**" said Belch.

"**We'll try anyway,**" Barf amended.

"**Everything will be fine,**" said Hookfang. "**Tell Ember-Ash I hope he is well.**"

"**I will,**" said Grim.

Stoick came up and put a hand on his sons' shoulders. "Look after each other."

"We will," Hiccup said.

"Come back in one piece," Gobber added.

"I doubt we'll be doing anything that would put us at risk of not coming back in one piece," Hiccup chuckled. "We're not going after a Death."

Hiccup and Grim mounted Toothless and Deathshriek and took off. They waved good-bye and turned in the direction of Scotland.

Grim found a strong wind current the dragons could glide on.

They flew through the afternoon.

"Do you think we should stop?" Hiccup asked.

"I think we can go for a little farther," Grim told him. "We've been gliding. I don't think the dragons are that tired. **Toothless, Deathshriek, how are you feeling?**"

"**We can keep going for a little while,**" said Deathshriek.

"**I'm getting hungry,**" said Toothless.

"They will be fine for a little while yet," Grim translated for Hiccup. "Toothless is getting hungry."

They flew for another twenty minutes. Toothless and Deathshriek put their ear fins up. Grim stiffened.

"What's wrong?" Hiccup asked.

"The wind's changed." Grim turned around on Deathshriek's back. He frowned.

Hiccup looked over his shoulder. Black storm clouds were forming behind them. "Those don't look natural."

"I don't think they are," said Grim.

"We better get out of here," Hiccup said. "Hurry, Toothless."

"**Deathshriek, quickly,**" Grim urged.

The wind began to blow against them. The two dragons fought the wind, Grim trying to read the wind enough to get them away from the storm.

There was a bolt of lightning that was too close to them for comfort.

"Grim!" Hiccup shouted.

Grim turned around and saw the storm was about to be directly over them. "Hiccup, hold on! We are not outrunning this storm."

Hiccup secured himself to Toothless' saddled with the straps he linked to his belt. He worried for Grim, who didn't have a saddle.

The storm engulfed them and they clung to their dragons. Their dragons fought the winds, trying to stay in the air.

"We have to find someplace to land!" yelled Hiccup.

Grim was focusing on which way the wind was blowing, trying to find a safe way through the storm.

Toothless looked back at his tail. The fabric was beginning to tear. "**Hiccup!**"

Hiccup fought to keep the tailfin under control. "Toothless! Come on, bud, we can do this."

The fabric on his tailfin tore completely and Toothless was blown about in the storm.

Hiccup yelled.

Grim looked back. "Hiccup!"

Deathshriek whirled around and followed after them. There wasn't much they could do. Deathshriek grabbed Toothless and tried to keep them all in the air.

Grim scanned everything around them, trying to find someplace they could land. There was nothing but clouds and rain.

"Hiccup, hold on! I'm here, brother!" Grim called.

Deathshriek let out a screech and he and Grim were tumbling over Toothless and Hiccup.

* * *

**And this is where I'm leaving you. Hopefully, I'll have the next chapter up soon, but this is just going to have to do for now. Leave a comment in the review section and I'll see you all for the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I am back again with another chapter. So far I only have four chapters of this story written. Hopefully I'll have another chapter written and ready to go for next week, but don't hold me to it.**

* * *

Hours later, Hiccup woke up on Toothless' back, still strapped to the saddle. They were on the ground and the storm had passed.

"Toothless?"

Toothless looked back and saw Hiccup was awake.

Hiccup unhooked himself and slid off of Toothless' back. He put his hand to his head. "Toothless, where's Grim?"

It was Deathshriek who answered. The blue and black dragon lifted one black wing to reveal Grim lying underneath unconscious.

"Grim?" Hiccup stumbled over to Grim. "Grim."

Grim didn't twitch.

"He's still breathing," Hiccup said. "He's still alive at least."

"**Yes,**" said Deathshriek.

Toothless sniffed at Hiccup. "**Are you okay?**"

"I'm okay, bud," said Hiccup. "A little sore, but I'm okay. I'm more worried about Grim."

"**We all are,**" said Deathshriek. He settled down and draped his wing over Grim again.

"Where are we?" Hiccup asked.

There was nothing familiar about where they were. There were mountains to the north, but there weren't any cliffs or sea stacks.

"Do you think we're in Scotland?" Hiccup asked Toothless.

Toothless shook his head.

"I didn't think so either," said Hiccup. He turned around. "Let's look at your tail."

Toothless' prosthetic was bent and twisted, but by some miracle it was still strapped to his tail.

"The rods are bent," Hiccup said. "They'll need to be straightened or the tailfin won't work. Hopefully there's a forge around here."

Deathshriek put his head up. "**We don't need a forge. We only need the materials to make a new tailfin. Grim made his dragon scale clothes without a proper forge or tools.**"

"**Grim can help us once he wakes up,**" said Toothless.

Hiccup sighed. "I know you guys are trying to help, but I have no idea what you're saying."

Toothless nudged Hiccup to comfort him.

Hiccup couldn't do much until Grim woke up. He went through their packs to see what he could use to fix the tailfin. Hiccup found he could use a shirt for the cloth of the tailfin.

"Not much to work with," said Hiccup. He looked around. "Maybe there is a town nearby or at least a house. Grim needs help."

Just as he said that, Grim groaned.

"Grim?" Hiccup called. "Grim, wake up."

Grim opened his eyes. They weren't focused in the least.

"Grim."

"Hiccup?" slurred Grim.

"I'm here," said Hiccup. He took Grim's hand and gave it a squeeze.

Grim shut his eyes again. "What happened?"

"The storm tossed us around and now I don't know where we are," Hiccup answered.

"What storm?" Grim asked.

Hiccup winced. "You don't remember?"

"I remember leaving Berk for Scotland," Grim said. He started to get up.

"**No, Grim,**" said Deathshriek. He pressed his nose to Grim's chest to keep him lying down. "**Rest.**"

Grim moaned.

"I can try to find some help," said Hiccup. "But Toothless is down. The wind completely tore his tailfin apart."

Grim opened his eyes partway. "Deathshriek, go with Hiccup. Toothless is more than capable of protecting me."

"Okay," said Hiccup. "We'll be back as quick as we can."

They left Grim and Toothless behind. Hiccup held on as tight as he could the way Grim showed him when riding an unsaddled dragon.

"Looks like we're not far from the ocean," said Hiccup, seeing the ocean in the distance. "And look! There's a lighthouse! Let's land out of sight and I'll see if there's anyone there."

Deathshriek grunted an affirmative.

It was difficult for Deathshriek to find a place to land close by without being seen. There were no cliffs or trees to hide them. He finally settled on disappearing, hoping no one would see the flying Viking before landing.

"I'll be back," Hiccup said, giving Deathshriek a pat on what he guessed was his nose.

Hiccup went up to the lighthouse and found a stone set in its base.

"'The Bone Point Light – My light will shine like truth through the darkness,'" Hiccup read. "'I was born in the mind of Adin. I was made by the builders of Raladin. The magic of Tora protects me. Sailors in peril will bless me.' Well, there may be a couple of dragon riders who'll bless you, too."

Hiccup found the door and knocked. When he received no answer, he pushed the door open. "Hello? Anybody home?"

"Who is down there?" came a deep voice. A large man with a broad face, red hair, bushy red beard, and sea blue eyes came down the stairs. "What are you doing here, boy?"

"Oh, hi," Hiccup said. "My friends and I got a little lost. One of them got hurt and the others sent me to find some help."

The man looked at Hiccup, his eyes lingering on his prosthetic. "How hurt is your friend?"

Hiccup gave a shrug. "Enough to cause some concern, but I know he's taken harder hits. He'll have a bump on his head."

"Come in, boy," said the man. "I will see what I have you can use."

Hiccup closed the door behind him and followed the man up the stairs. He looked at the paintings on the walls. Each one was signed Verity.

"I have a few bandages and a little medicine," said the man. "What else do you need?"

"Do you know where there's a forge?" Hiccup asked. "Or if you have some scrap?"

"There is a little scrap in the basement," replied the man.

After getting the bandages and medicine, they went to the basement to see if there was any scrap Hiccup could use to fix Toothless' tailfin. There were some rods he could use and some canvas.

"I don't have much to pay you," Hiccup said, taking out a small pouch of gold. "I can pay you for the canvas."

The man looked at the gold pouch. "You have plenty, boy. A gold piece for everything will suffice."

"Are you sure?" asked Hiccup.

"Yes," replied the man. "You better get back to your friends."

Hiccup nodded. "Thanks for helping me out."

Hiccup turned around and the man noticed the dragon on his shield.

"Boy, where did you get that shield?" the man asked.

"I made it," Hiccup replied.

The man pressed his lips together in thought. "What is your name, boy?"

"My name's Hiccup."

"Hiccup? That is a strange name. I am Red Han, keeper of Bone Point Light. You be careful out there, Hiccup. Things in Deltora are much better than they were in the past, but there are still dangers."

"I'll be careful," said Hiccup.

Hiccup left the lighthouse and found Deathshriek, or rather Deathshriek found him. The Baleful Banshee had appeared directly in front of Hiccup less than a foot from his face. Hiccup jumped.

"Deathshriek!" he hissed in irritation.

Deathshriek laughed and turned for Hiccup to mount him.

They flew back to Toothless and Grim. Grim appeared to be much more alert, but Hiccup made him use the medicine and bandaged his head after finding a large bump on the side of his head.

"We're in a country called Deltora," Hiccup told Grim.

"That's a start," said Grim.

"Do you know anything about Deltora?" Hiccup asked.

"No, I never heard of such a place," Grim replied. "I do not know where we are."

"That's just great," said Hiccup. "What are we going to do?"

"The only thing I can think of doing right now is wait until dark," said Grim. "We may be able to tell where we are by the stars and make our way to Scotland." Grim got to his feet. "Either that, or we can try to find a town, or better yet, a city. Chances are they would have a map of the area and lands around it."

"We can follow the coastline and use the lighthouse as a marker so we don't get lost," said Hiccup. He turned to Toothless. "But we can't do anything until we fix your tail, Toothless."

"**Yes!**" Toothless barked.

"I think I can do almost everything without a forge," said Hiccup, looking at what he procured.

Grim smiled. "We have a forge." He patted Deathshriek's shoulder. "What do you need?"

With Grim and Deathshriek's help, Hiccup straightened the rods and attached the canvas to Toothless' tailfin.

"Perfect," said Hiccup.

* * *

Toothless and Grim began following the coast south, keeping an eye on the beaches below them.

"It's a gulf," Hiccup suddenly stated. "We started at Bone Point and made almost a U shape. Look ahead of us: there's a peninsula."

"And no towns along the way," Grim added. "Do these people not fish the coast?"

"Apparently not," said Hiccup. "We don't know how big Deltora is. There's land as far as we can see to the east. Maybe they farm more than they fish."

"The weather is warmer," Grim pointed out. "They would have different crops than what we have on Berk. They would not have to rely on trade ships like we do as much."

Toothless growled.

"What is it, bud?" Hiccup asked.

"He said this place smells like death," Grim said.

Toothless growled a little louder.

"Excuse me, it smells of death, but not as strong. It is a scent that lingers," Grim corrected.

Toothless and Deathshriek put their ear-fins up and came to a halt, hovering where they were.

"Okay," said Hiccup. "Now what? Grim?"

"**Deathshriek, what are you doing?**" Grim asked, putting a hand to his head. The sudden stop caused his headache to come back in force.

"**Another dragon,**" Toothless replied. "**I smell him. Two of them.**"

"There are other dragons out there," said Grim. "Toothless smells two of them."

Deathtshriek growled and shook his head.

Toothless began growling the same way.

"What's going on with you, bud?" Hiccup asked. "I haven't seen him like this since Grindheart first came to Berk."

"They sense something," Grim stated unnecessarily.

"But what? What could get them both up like this?" Hiccup looked around. "I don't see anything."

"It's what you don't see that is the danger," Grim pointed out.

"And you would know a thing or two about that," Hiccup added, still looking around. "Do you see anything, bud?"

Toothless made the strange sound that allowed him to see in the dark. He flicked his ear-fins. "**Nothing.**"

"It's okay," Hiccup said, patting Toothless' head. "You tried. Maybe we should find a place to land."

A massive roar startled the four of them.

"That came from inland!" Hiccup yelled.

"I don't know what that was, but that was no dragon roar," Grim said, a bit spooked.

"Let's check it out!" Hiccup turned Toothless in the direction of the roar.

They flew in the direction of the roar quickly. What they saw shocked them.

A violet dragon that was the size of a Typhoomerang was fighting an equally large gray dragon. The dragon had a long neck, four legs, massive wings, and spines going down its back. Spines on the side of its head gave it a menacing appearance. Its talons were like meat hooks and glinted with blood in the pale light. They tangled in the air, scales and blood raining down on the ground.

"What in the name of Thor is that?" cried Hiccup.

"I do not like the look of the gray beast," Grim said. "There's something not right with it."

Toothless and Deathshriek growled in dark agreement.

There was another roar below them.

"There's another one!" Grim called.

They saw a much smaller, silvery dragon with a gray counterpart.

"That one looks like a baby!" Hiccup called back.

Grim did a double take and saw Hiccup was right.

"Grim, Toothless and I will take these two dragons up here," said Hiccup. "You and Deathshriek take the two on the ground."

"Stay safe, brother," said Grim, raising the hood of his coat.

"You, too," Hiccup nodded.

They separated, Hiccup and Toothless going after the violet and gray dragons and Grim and Deathshriek went down to the white and gray dragons.

"Toothless, plasma blast!" Hiccup ordered.

Toothless fired a plasma blast at the fighting dragons. It separated the two dragons and they snarled at each other.

Toothless let out a snarl and faced the gray dragon. The gray dragon may have looked like a dragon and may have sounded similar to a dragon, but it certainly was not a dragon by the scent of it.

"I figured as much," Hiccup said. He looked over at the violet dragon. It was bleeding from several large gashes.

The gray dragon looked from the violet dragon to Toothless. It opened its mouth to fire.

"Plasma blast!" Hiccup called out.

Toothless fired multiple plasma blasts at the gray dragon.

Below, Grim and Deathshriek had landed and Grim launched himself off Deathshriek's back and onto the small gray dragon. He extended his Gronkle iron tipped dragon claws and slashed the back of the small gray dragon. Grim jumped off and retracted his claws and drew his sword.

Deathshriek allowed his white markings become visible and growled low, preparing to strike. He glanced over at the silvery dragon and saw that it was scared. He turned back to the small gray dragon.

"**Grim, that thing is not a dragon,**" Deathshriek said, smelling the foul stench that was not dragon scent by any means. "**It is a fight to the death.**"

Grim grunted in understanding.

Above their heads, Toothless twisted in the air and fired another plasma blast, catching the gray dragon under the wing. The violet dragon breathed purple flames at the gray dragon. Toothless swooped around and fired again, hitting it in the back this time.

Hiccup could see the gray dragon was getting overwhelmed with the two dragons attacking it, even if one was already wounded. He wondered how well Grim and Deathshriek were doing.

Grim, in his black coat, looked like a shade with a sword in his hands. Beside him was Deathshriek looking like something otherworldly with his white markings. Both of them had put themselves between the white and gray dragons, facing the gray dragon.

The small gray dragon lashed out at Grim. Grim twisted away and swung his sword. It connected with the side of the beast's head and cut it. The blood that ran down its face was not red, but black.

Deathshriek pounced on the gray dragon and bit at it. The small gray dragon rolled and threw Deathshriek off him. Deathshriek got to his feet and used his shriek. The small gray dragon was sent stumbling back. Deathshriek used his moment of disorientation to fire his blue flame at it. It was a directed hit and the small gray dragon decided it had enough. It took off, passing the fighting dragons in the air and howling at the larger gray dragon.

Toothless fired one more plasma blast at the larger gray dragon and struck directly in the face. That dragon also thought it had enough and followed the smaller dragon.

"Good job, bud," said Hiccup. "You okay?"

Toothless grunted and nodded.

Hiccup turned around the violet dragon. The violet dragon was staring at Hiccup and Toothless. Hiccup was a little on edge. He gently urged Toothless to the ground to check on Grim and Deathshriek. The violet dragon followed them down.

"Are you two okay?" Hiccup called to Grim and Deathshriek.

"We're fine," Grim said, putting his sword away and dropping his hood. He turned to the silvery dragon and took his gloves off. "Now let's see how wounded you are."

Grim was careful in his approach. Deathshriek stayed within striking distance to defend Grim if need be. Grim put his bare hand out and stopped a few feet in front of the silvery dragon.

The silvery dragon was only slightly smaller than Toothless and Deathshriek. As he got closer, Grim saw the scales were near colorless and shimmered in the pale light.

"**It is all right,**" Grim warbled.

It sniffed his hand, but didn't press its nose into his hand. Grim carefully backed away.

"Do you want to see if it will respond to you?" Grim asked Hiccup. "You have a better way with them."

Hiccup nodded and came over to the silvery dragon. He put his hand up like Grim did. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you."

The silvery dragon sniffed Hiccup like it did Grim. Hiccup turned his head away and closed his eyes and waited. The silvery dragon pressed its nose into Hiccup's hand. Hiccup turned and smiled. He turned back to Grim. "Sometimes you have to look away."

Grim came forward again, slowly and keeping his hands away from himself. "All right, little one, let's see if you're hurt." He glanced at Hiccup. "Check the other. I know that one's bleeding badly. Take Deathshriek with you."

Hiccup nodded and took Toothless and Deathshriek over to the violet dragon.

The silvery dragon let Grim touch it. Grim carefully ran his hands over the dragon's snout and looked for blood. It didn't look like the dragon was hurt, just scared. It kept looking to the violet dragon.

Hiccup was slow in his approach of the much larger dragon. Toothless and Deathshriek flanked Hiccup.

The violet dragon was completely focused on Hiccup. There was an intelligence and gentleness in its eyes. It put its head down to Hiccup and pressed its nose into Hiccup's hand when he offered it.

"This one is fine," Grim called softly. "A little shook up, but it could have been much worse."

"That's good news," Hiccup said. He examined the violet dragon. One of the first things he noticed after seeing the wounds was that its entire underside was covered in camouflaging scales that were currently dark like the sky and tinged with some of the same shade of violet the rest of it was. "Wish I could say the same with you," he muttered. "You're all torn up."

"I will heal, young one."

Hiccup jumped and yelped.

Grim swung around to the four of them.

Toothless and Deathshriek were startled as well.

None of them were expecting the violet dragon to speak in a human language.

"Okay, I wasn't expecting you to talk," Hiccup said, taking a deep breath.

"At least not in something you can understand." Grim turned to the silvery dragon. "Do you speak, too?"

"Yes," replied the silvery dragon. It was obviously young and female judging from the voice.

Grim gave her a final pet and went to join Hiccup.

"**Old dragons,**" Toothless warbled softly.

"**Very old dragons,**" Deathshriek agreed.

Grim ran his hand across Deathshriek's wing. "What were those things? They were not dragons."

Deathshriek growled in agreement.

"They are products are sorcery," growled the violet dragon. "An evil that has somehow managed to force its way into Deltora, despite the sorcery of the Belt."

Grim began examining the violet dragon's wounds. The blood had slowed and was clotting on the gashes in the beginnings of healing.

"The Belt?" Hiccup asked.

"The Belt of Deltora," the violet dragon replied. "The Belt was forged by Adin, the first king of Deltora. He made the Belt to unite the seven tribes. Each of the tribes gave their tribe's talisman, a Great Gem mined from their land."

Grim paused in his examination.

Hiccup noticed, but continued to listen.

"The Great Gems are powerful by themselves, but together, they keep out any evil that should try to invade Deltora," the violet dragon continued.

"Almost any evil apparently," said Hiccup.

The violet dragon growled darkly. "The Shadow Lord, the dark sorcerer to our north must be using powerful magic indeed to defy the Belt."

"Hiccup." Grim had stopped what he was doing. He was very, very pale and his eyes were wide. "Do you remember what I said I heard in my dream?"

Hiccup let out a small gasp. "How many dragons are left in Deltora?"

"There are seven left," said the violet dragon. "One of each territory. There used to be many."

Hiccup turned back to Grim.

"Seven hearts," said Grim. "Seven fires."

"Seven dragons," Hiccup added. "It's not the Shadow Lord. Grim?"

Grim swayed. "I think I'm going to be sick." He closed his eyes and crumpled to the ground.

"Grim!" Hiccup hurried over to him. "Grim, wake up."

Deathshriek gave Grim a nudge. "**Grim.**"

Hiccup checked the bandage around Grim's head. It wasn't bleeding. "Grim."

Grim's eyes fluttered open. "What happened?"

"You passed out," Hiccup said. "Just stay down. I think your head injury is worse than you thought."

Grim gave a quick smile and closed his eyes again.

Hiccup frowned. "Or you knew how bad your head was and didn't tell me. Geez, Grim!"

Deathshriek settled down next to Grim and covered him with a wing.

"Is your friend all right?" the silvery dragon asked.

"He's fine," said Hiccup. "Stubborn, but fine. He hit his head when we crash landed north of here at the Bone Point Light. I had to find something to repair Toothless' tailfin with and I saw Grim had a bump on his head. Red Han, the light keeper at the lighthouse, gave me some supplies and medicine. Grim insisted he was fine. I should've known better. Grim hasn't been sleeping so well. He's been having nightmares."

"What about?" the violet dragon asked.

"We never knew what they were about until a couple days ago," said Hiccup. "Grim was going to sneak off to see someone we knew who could tell us what the dreams could have meant. He dreamt of colored flames that were snuffed out and someone chanting."

"What was the chant?" the violet dragon asked.

Hiccup took a moment to recall it. "'Seven hearts of the land were harvested. Seven shadows were left in the ground. Seven fires soar the vast sky and hundreds more are silent in sound. Seven more shall join as ash, their anguished cries echoing in the night. The king will fall to his knees and beg for mercy and for life.'"

The silvery dragon warbled in distress.

"We figured out the seven fires were dragons," said Hiccup. "And just now when you said about the Great Gems, I think it's safe to say those are the seven hearts."

"And the seven shadows?" the silvery dragon asked.

"Those gray fakes," Hiccup suggested with a shrug.

"We must tell the king," said the violet dragon. "He must be warned about this. When your friend is well enough to travel, take the dragons you came with and continue southeast. You will find the city of Del. There the king lives. You tell him what you told us."

"Aren't you going to come with us?" Hiccup asked.

"No," said the violet dragon. "The remaining dragons swore an oath to Dragonfriend that we would not cross our borders to take advantage of them in their sleep. We dragons are territorial by nature and stay in our own territories. I am already breaking that rule by staying with the last Diamond dragon until she is old enough to protect her land and take care of herself."

"Is the dragon of Del going to be as nice as you two have been?" Hiccup asked.

"The dragon of faith, the Topaz dragon, will most likely believe you are invaders and defend his territory," the violet dragon answered.

Hiccup sighed. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time we've dealt with territorial dragons. The Topaz dragon is about your size, right?"

"Perhaps a little larger," admitted the violet dragon.

"Good. He's not Screaming Death big. That's a relief." Hiccup looked over at Toothless. "I've had enough of mountain sized dragons for a while."

"**Me, too,**" Toothless agreed.

The violet dragon took a closer look at Hiccup and Toothless. "You've saddle this black dragon like a horse."

"It's the only way I can control his prosthetic," said Hiccup. "Toothless can't fly without help. See?"

Toothless turned and held out his tail.

"Toothless lost his left tailfin," said Hiccup. "I made him a new one."

"Why?" asked the silvery dragon.

Hiccup turned to her. "A downed dragon is a dead dragon. I had to get Toothless back up in the air somehow. I made him one he could operate himself, but he likes this one."

Hiccup ended up telling the violet and Diamond dragons his story about when he met Toothless up until he met Grim and Deathshriek.

"You named these dragons," the violet dragon said in realization.

Hiccup nodded.

"To a dragon, their name is a closely guarded secret," said the violet dragon. "To have one know a being's name is to have power over that being. It is why we keep our names a closely guarded secret. But you have named these dragons. It is different."

"Well, you already know my name; it's Hiccup."

"And an odd name it is," said the violet dragon.

"I'm an odd Viking," Hiccup shrugged. "Hiccup is like calling someone a runt. I've always been small. I'm not very strong. But I use my head more than the other Vikings back home."

"Well, I know your names," said the violet dragon. "Perhaps it is fair for me to reveal my true name."

"You know my true name," said Hiccup. "Like you said, we named our dragons. And Deathshriek and the dragons on Grim Island named Grim."

"They named a human?" the silvery dragon asked.

Hiccup looked over at Deathshriek, who was still covering Grim with his wing. "I don't know how much I can tell you without Grim coming after me. Grim's tribe kicked him out. He became friends with a dragon and they found out about it. They banished him and killed the dragon. They wanted to erase him from their history and Grim wanted nothing to remind him of his life there. He never told me his real name in case someone came around asking questions: plausible deniability."

"I understand," said the violet dragon. "As the dragon of the Amethyst, the dragon of truth, I can understand why he would not want you to have to lie on his behalf."

Hiccup thought for a moment. "I don't think Grim's ever outright lied to me before. Usually he's hiding how bad his injuries are, but not much more than that. I was the first human he willingly shared secrets with. I know more about him than anyone else on Berk."

"I heard him growl and snarl like a dragon," said the Amethyst dragon.

"Grim's learned how to speak Dragonese," said Hiccup. "He told me there wasn't much to do other than fly on Deathshriek and find food. There certainly wasn't anybody else to talk to besides dragons."

"You have dragons where you are from," said the Amethyst dragon. "What are they like?"

"Nothing like you," Hiccup replied. "They don't speak human language, but they do understand it. They come in many shapes and sizes, and Bork the Bold created the Book of Dragons to record all the different types of dragons. Toothless is a Night Fury, said to be the offspring of lightning and death itself. Not much was known about the breed before I met Toothless. Before me, no one ever saw a Night Fury and lived to tell about it. As for Deathshriek, he's a Baleful Banshee. Their scream is bone-chilling and can be heard for miles. It's scary when you're close by. There are others like Monstrous Nightmares and Deadly Nadders. Nightmares can be vicious and like to light themselves on fire and Nadders can be vain and shoot spines from their tails, but they are loyal to their riders. The dragons are just as different as people are."

"You are very knowledgeable," said the Amethyst dragon.

"I'm in charge of the Dragon Training Academy," said Hiccup. "I have to know as much as I can about dragons. Grim, you can call him my second, and then comes my girlfriend. She's the best fighter her age on Berk, next to Grim. Enough of about us. You said there are seven dragons and you said one is the Topaz dragon and you are the Amethyst. What are the others?"

"The little one here is the dragon of the Diamond. There are also the dragons of the Ruby, Opal, Lapis Lazuli, and Emerald."

"**Emerald?**" Deathshriek raised his head from where he was checking on Grim. He looked back at Grim. "**Grim is not going to like this.**"

"**Maybe he will,**" said Toothless. "**Maybe it will remind him of his Emerald and loosen up a little.**"

"His Emerald?" the Diamond dragon asked. "What does that mean? Grim knows another Emerald dragon?"

Hiccup shook his head. "Grim's first dragon friend was a Deadly Nadder with emerald green scales. He named him Emerald. He took his death very hard."

The Amethyst dragon nodded. "Each of the dragons represents a Gem. Each Gem has a special power. The Great Gems were united with the tribes by Adin when he made the Belt of Deltora."

"Huh," said Hiccup. "I never thought of gems having some sort of power."

There was a loud yawn. The Diamond dragon smacked her lips after her yawn, her eyes barely open.

"I think it's someone's bedtime," Hiccup said with a smile. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"We should sleep here," said the Amethyst dragon. He looked at his wounds that were full of clotted blood. "I am in no condition to fly like this."

Hiccup curled up under Toothless and they all went to sleep.

* * *

**A bit of action and some introduction to the characters of Deltora. I hope that I'm staying true enough to them. There's a reason I fell in love with this book series and I don't want to mess it up.**


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